Chapter 255
At first, he wondered if she’d been forcibly brainwashed, but that seemed unlikely.
Sure, the dark magic of the Four Kings could completely rewrite a person’s personality.
But that only worked on the weak-minded—not on the strongest Demon Lord, who had reached the exalted level of 9-star mastery.
“And it’s not like their souls have been swapped, either.”
In his previous life, the hero’s party had pondered a similar question.
Could the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord actually be a demon’s incarnation?
But when the archmage Lanya used her forbidden arts to investigate, the answer was no.
Though deeply tainted by evil, the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord’s soul was still the original one inhabiting that body.
“I don’t know.”
What troubled him even more was the uncertainty about what to do with Idrene going forward.
“Whether she was originally a noble soul or not, the fact remains: she will become the seed of a terrible archdemon someday.”
Thinking about the future consequences, he couldn’t just stand by silently.
But—
“I have to find out why Idrene is changing like this.”
He had a strong feeling this would be a crucial factor in what was to come.
Sigh.
Chris shook his head in frustration.
This was an unexpected complication.
“For now, I need to focus on mastering the Blood Cross.”
Grateful for the miracle of Idrene’s revival, the Blood Sword Mage gave Chris more time.
But maybe because his mind was tangled with worries, Chris struggled to grasp the true meaning of the Blood Cross.
“Blood. The source of life and death. Damn it. I’m stuck right here.”
Just as Chris sighed again, an unexpected voice interrupted.
“May I have a moment?”
Chris’s eyes snapped open.
A familiar face.
‘Ria?’
The young pure-blood girl of the Blood Sword Mage who had helped Chris before.
Or rather, it was Idrene, disguised as before, coming to see Chris.
Thump, thump.
Chris’s heart raced as he saw Idrene.
He vividly recalled the hand she had reached out in his moment of dire need.
The warmth of her presence, as if enveloping his soul.
She was his savior.
“I must repay this kindness.”
But the reason she came in disguise again was because of the demon she had contracted with.
“Why does the demon keep ordering me to hide my identity from Duke Christian?”
It was an order she couldn’t understand, but had no choice but to obey.
Thanks to the demon’s power, Christian hadn’t noticed her true identity this time either.
“Long time no see.”
Meanwhile, Chris, feeling troubled, was glad to see a familiar face and said warmly.
“Yes, it’s good to see you.”
But Ria’s reaction to his greeting was strange.
Her face suddenly brightened.
“Did you just say it’s good to see me? I—I’m glad too. But are you really happy to see me again?”
“No, I was just being polite. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“…A polite lie, huh? Sorry for overreacting.”
Chris chuckled at how quickly she deflated after his blunt reply.
It had been a while, but she was just the same.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I came to express my gratitude.”
“Hm?”
“Well… to thank you for healing Lady Idrene.”
Then she did something surprising.
She dropped to her knees and bowed deeply.
“I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. I swear I will never forget the kindness the Duke has shown me for the rest of my life.”
From Ria’s—or rather, Idrene’s—perspective, it was a heartfelt thank-you to the one who saved her life.
But Chris raised an eyebrow, misinterpreting her excessive formality.
‘Is this girl also so devoted to Idrene? She has no idea what kind of things Idrene will do later.’
Of course, Chris had come to realize that Idrene was different from the person he once knew.
But that didn’t lessen his resentment.
Honestly, it made him angrier.
How many had died in despair because of her in his previous life?
Now, hearing talk that “maybe Idrene was actually a good person” just made him uncomfortable.
“Damn it. It would be easier if I could just die peacefully. This just makes my head spin.”
He clicked his tongue, and Idrene cautiously asked,
“By the way, Duke, what do you think of Lady Idrene?”
“…What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
“Oh, no particular reason…! Didn’t you meet her during the treatment? I was just curious about your impression.”
Chris frowned.
“She was terrible.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, the worst. She looked so dark inside. You’re being fooled badly too—wake up.”
In truth, her unexpectedly good impression was the real problem, but annoyed by the complicated situation, Chris deliberately spoke curtly.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“Really that bad?”
“…If you’re going to keep pestering me, just leave.”
His cold reply made Idrene look like a drenched puppy, but she quickly shook her head.
‘It’s natural for Duke Christian to misunderstand me. My reputation outside the family is still terrible. I’ll change his mind one step at a time.’
She steeled herself and spoke confidently.
“Anyway, as thanks for healing the Lady, I will be your friend!”
Out of the blue.
She said this because of something her nanny Deborah had told her recently.
If you want to be friends with Duke Christian, boldly and openly say so.
…Is that really okay?
No one in this world would refuse to be friends with you.
…I’m not confident.
Don’t worry. Who else is as kind and beautiful as you?
That’s just because she’s my nanny. Anyway, I’ll try. But am I really pretty?
In other words, she had mustered up the courage to say it.
But Chris still responded bluntly.
“…Why is that supposed to be thanks? I don’t want to be friends with you.”
“…You don’t want to be friends?”
Idrene deflated again, rapidly.
“Yeah, I don’t care. And who makes friends like that? Have you never had a single friend before?”
“……”
Idrene’s face was struck.
In truth, she had little experience not only with friends but with normal human relationships, so she lacked basic social skills.
“I-I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to make friends because I have none. I just really want to be friends with you, so I apologize.”
“…Well, no need to apologize so much.”
Chris scratched his head.
Seeing her so clueless somehow eased the tension caused by the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord.
‘Maybe I’ll make her a friend after all. Could be fun to mess with her.’
You can tell a lot about someone when you meet them.
Whether you can get close or not.
This girl didn’t give a bad vibe.
In fact, she seemed easy to handle, which was oddly appealing.
“Fine. I’ll be your friend.”
“Really?”
Idrene’s eyes sparkled.
To have a wish she’d held before dying come true so easily?
“Yeah. But remember this.”
“What is it?”
“I’m explaining because you don’t seem to know, but a friend is someone who gives without holding back.”
Of course, Chris’s idea of giving was one-sided.
Someone who gives to him.
In other words, an ideal friend was a pushover he could take advantage of.
“This is important, so repeat after me. A friend is someone who gives.”
“A friend is someone who gives.”
“Right. No matter how hard it gets, no matter what you lose, you put the other person first. That’s a true friend. If you don’t give for the other person, you’re not a friend.”
“I see. That’s an important lesson. You have to give to be a true friend. How romantic.”
Idrene pondered Chris’s words with a serious expression.
Then she smiled brightly.
She looked genuinely happy, her usual dark expression replaced by a radiant, unshadowed smile.
“Thank you for being my friend. No matter what happens, I will help you. Because we are ‘true friends.’”
Technically, she was a true pushover, but Chris nodded.
“In that case, how about you help me right now?”
“Anything you say!”
Chris grinned mischievously.
“I need help understanding the true meaning of the Blood Cross. Share with me what you’ve realized.”
“!!”
Sharing her realizations? That was an absurd request.
Actually, Chris wasn’t serious.
He just wanted to tease her by making an unreasonable demand.
But then—
“The true meaning I’ve gained from the Blood Cross is death and sacrifice…”
Chris hurriedly covered her mouth.
“W-Wait. What are you doing?”
“You asked me to share my realizations, didn’t you? I’m just explaining.”
Idrene spoke with innocent eyes, and Chris looked dumbfounded.
‘Is she an idiot?’
But Idrene had her reasons.
“Duke Christian is my benefactor. I can give you these realizations anytime.”
She didn’t stop there.
“Is sharing realizations enough?”
“…Huh?”
“My realizations are deeply personal and subjective, so they might not help you much.”
Then she fell into serious thought.
“Hmm… How can I help you truly understand the Blood Cross? We’re true friends… I have to help you no matter what…”
“……”
Chris stared at her in disbelief.
She looked so determined to help him.
Her pushover potential far exceeded expectations.
“Show me your blood magic technique once.”
Chris demonstrated the blood magic technique using dark mana.
Idrene watched a few times and nodded in understanding.
“Your Highness, how much longer do you intend to stay here?”
“…I can’t stay much longer. Commander, they might sense my presence through the curse.”
“We’ll make sure the main house tightens security. Try to stay a little longer.”
Chris hesitated, then spoke.
“If I push it, maybe I can manage another ten days.”
Anything beyond that would be impossible.
‘I have to settle things with Marquis Langham.’
Meanwhile, Edrinne nodded at the mention of ten days.
“I think we can make it work.”
“Make what work?”
“Your Highness, you need to relearn the basics of blood magic from me.”
“!!”
“This isn’t about the Blood Cross right now. Honestly, your blood magic lacks a solid foundation.”
Edrinne said this with a casual, almost smug expression.
“I’ll teach you everything from the very beginning.”
* * *
Lacking a foundation.
Chris couldn’t accept that.
Though he had only learned bits and pieces from Simon on the side, he was confident his blood magic could easily overpower most pure-blood vampires.
And that was true.
But—
“Look closely. Blood magic isn’t simply about manipulating blood; it’s about controlling life and death.”
Edrinne began to demonstrate the blood magic.
Whoosh!